Mes- I will have to disagree- most respectfully of course- the most important component is the armagnac :o) It seems as though all of you guys are keeping Rives busy, I have seen Bill E's plans which are simply amazing, Don N. tells me he is working with him and now you! I am getting weak in the knees and am thinking of ordering a PARC as to not fall too far behind- they usually shoot the horses that fall behind, and I am surely not ready for that! Keep us updated sounds like a great project........even if your gonna be using those cheap midi's :o)
The Most Important Component
The room. I've long felt this but despite treating my rooms with panels, tube traps, etc. have never had what I considred a good room. I've recently pulled the trigger and hired Richard Bird, the man behind Rives Audio to make my basement an acoustical nirvana. He's flown out, spec'd and measured the part of the basement which will become a dedicated listening room, and despite the quizical looks from the contractor, the project should start in a week or so. It'll be 24'x14'x7'10". The tricky part will be the ceiling which will be designed and treated to sound much taller than it's 7'10' height. The plans look way cool and I'm assured and expecting great things. So far the process has been mostly painless, although it's difficult to convince a contractor of the acoustical merits of the design, and Richard has been knowledgeable, professional and friendly. So far as easy as it gets. Dealing with the contractor may be another story, but I'm game :-) For those of you that think a low ceiling basement is suboptimal, as I once did, you may want to think again. If the low ceiling is the only limiting factor, it can be compensated for with the correct design. I'll update as things proceed, for those interested. I've a backup of antipsychotic meds just in case.